Now that he has officially made the team, Mrak can stop thinking about the prospect of going to Rio and focus on his swimming.

“It’s kind of a game actually,” he said. “Who’s going to make the team and who’s not going to make the team, but none of us really know right now. It’s best to just put that aside and focus on your race in the water.”

The idea of representing Canada at the Paralympics may have been on his mind on Saturday night.

Mrak swam a 1:12.51 in the men’s 100-metre backstroke S1-2, S6-14 multi-class, almost a minute and a half slower than the personal best he set at the Toronto 2015 Parapan Am games that earned him a bronze medal.

Right off the start, he knew he was not going to have his best run.

“I don’t think I went out fast enough,” he said. “I didn’t get the tempo going on the way out, so on the way back it was really hard to continue the speed. The start just wasn’t very good.”

Fortunately for Mrak, he was able to turn his performance around on Sunday.

In the men’s 100m freestyle, he swam a 0:59.54, almost two seconds faster than his seed time. Hours after that run Mrak was officially named to the Canadian 2016 Rio Paralympic swim team.

Ultimately, he was able to overcome the pressure of making the national team and focus on swimming.

“It’s not as much pressure as like a four-time Paralympian who is expected to do well in every single race, that’s kind of tough,” he said. “I have a bit more leeway.”

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In September, 2016, 15 sports journalism students from Centennial College in Toronto travelled to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to cover the Paralympic Games.

The experience, for all, was memorable, inspiring and perhaps even life-changing.

The students discovered as much about themselves as individuals and journalists as they did about the incredible athletes they covered and the generous, supportive people of Brazil who packed the venues to cheer them on.

Each student was asked to write a simple, reflective and personal account of their Rio adventure. Read them here